Review Fix Exclusive: Maple Run’s Nick Bondouroglou Talks ‘Restless’

Review Fix chats with Maple Run vocalist and guitarist Nick Bondouroglou, who discusses the band’s newest album “Restless.” Also breaking down what makes the band different Bondouroglou gives us an inside look and how the band creates their tunes.

Review Fix: What was the creative process behind this album?

Nick Bondouroglou: As soon as the cycle of our debut album ‘House on Fire’ ended, we decided we wanted to start working on a new project and find out were this will lead us. Without having something particular in mind – apart from the fact that we wanted it to be a heavier album than the previous one – we started jamming & composing new songs. When we reached a significant number of songs and were satisfied with our material and the direction it had taken, we got in the studio & recorded all of our ideas/songs. At the same time we finalized the lyrics and the albums artwork. Our album ‘Restless’ is not based on a particular idea creatively but on the combination of inspiring songs that will connect with the listener.

Review Fix: What do you think makes it unique?

Bondouroglou: The variety of the different styles of music used in combination with the albums particular sound. As each member has different musical influences, blending them all together is what makes ‘Restless’ a unique album with character and essence. Also, each song has a story to tell – stories that differ but are also connected simultaneously.

Review Fix: What have you learned about yourselves as musicians through the writing and production of this album?

Bondouroglou: Due to bad decision making, the recording & production process of ‘Restless’ lasted almost 3 years. Having to join the army (which is mandatory in our country) for 9 months and also working with a producer that didn’t meet our expectations, resulted in loosing a lot of valuable time. What we have surely learned through this process is that you need to be well practiced and organized before getting in the studio to record and also to find a producer who meets your bands expectations in knowledge and communication.

Review Fix: What song do you think has the best story behind it?

Bondouroglou: As previously mentioned, each song has a different story to tell and it would be hard to chose a particular one. The most interesting story that most people can connect to is probably the story behind our official music video ‘Bombs’ which has to do with the current state of modern society with regards to economy/war/politics and the way these affect the individual.

Review Fix: How important has the band’s social media presence been to its success?

Bondouroglou: Our band started using social media since MySpace made its appearance and from that time onwards social media have been really helpful. With the use of social networks such as facebook, twitter etc. we have connected with fans and people of the music industry internationally which has taken us many steps further. With the use of these networks we can promote and advertise our band without costs as well as to find any information we need for our next steps.

Review Fix: How do you want this album to be remembered?

Bondouroglou: As an honest record made by a group of restless friends.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Bondouroglou: We are currently in the pre production process of what will be our 3rd album. Our goal is to have our new record ready within the following year. We are very excited about the future – stay tuned – great things are coming.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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